Surprising progressive city in Kansas...
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We visited Paola, Kansas.  We stopped at one antique store that we found open, but mostly we 'wound the clock' around the town square, which is not gathered around the clock tower at the courthouse, but is built around a park.
 
Downtown Paola, Kansas

The park seems to unify the town and give it a nice unified community character.  The courhouse is actually one block off the square.
Miami County Courthouse in Paola Kansas

It is not often in smaller communities that a coffeehouse or art gallery could be found.  We found both in one place, called the Tortoise Gallery.  The hours are decent (they close at 8, not at 5 like most places) and the motivation behind the gallery seems to be to bring together the creative community here, and also the community as a whole in a gathering spot that lets the world know that even small towns such as Paola can take a broader view of the universe.  The place has been open quite a while, but has recently changed ownership.

Tortoise Art Gallery and Coffeehouse in downtown Paola, Kansas  

As we drove into town, we found all the earmarks of a close knit community -- the kids were riding bikes and playing in the neighborhoods, a teenager called to check in and asked her dad if it was alright to hang out with friends, the city hall has a cupola and fire department in the basement and there appears to be a well built and well preserved Carnegie library off of one corner in the square.  Perhaps I am laying it on a little thick in this Norman Rockwell description of this town.
Paola, Kansas



Historic Marker in downtown Paola, Kansas

There are historic markers all around the square we found fascinating, which describe mainly bleeding Kansas and the time of John Brown, before the civil war, when the civil war actually began here in this little village, and countryside surrounding it, and not at Fort Sumpter in South Carolina, as many history teachers have taught their students.
John Brown (photo by Ken)

Ken, my daytripping partner,  often says that if you read many historic markers in Missouri, you would be led to believe that the confederacy won the civil war, and not the Union.  We did not leave Paola with that impression.  The echoes of history are still here, reminding us of what once was, and warning us that unless we take a broader world view, we might find brother fighting brother on this soil once more.  Were that to happen, would it then matter who comes out victorious?  Paola seems to be firmly in the Union, and proud of it.

Paola Debrief

YJ's Third World Snack Cafe, 18th and Wyandotte, Kansas City Missouri
Exerpts of our discussion on what we saw and did in Paola, Kansas....
 2011/08/11 Thursday 22:35:01  STEVO SVOBODA What did you like about paola? KEN MOUNTAIN just talking to those gals in the art gallery. It is nice to talk to people instead of wandering around taking pictures like we usually do. - 2011/08/11 Thursday 22:37:32 STEVO SVOBODA it is nice to have people to talk to... KEN MOUNTAIN somebody who is fairly knowledgable.
- 2011/08/11 Thursday 22:39:31 STEVO SVOBODA the park in the town square is unique. Usually the courthose is there. KEN MOUNTAIN kinda neat the plaques they had on the history.